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The Wolf of Wall Street: Movie Review

Funny, scandalous and hella entertaining are the traits that make "The Wolf of Wall Street" stand out from the crowd. But we have to admit, the 3 hour experience wasn't all perfect and at times, the highly-zealous portrayal of Jordan Belfort became too repetitive and with that, too tiring. This does not discount the fact that even with a long running time, most of the time, "The Wolf of Wall Street" is one filthy ride that is entertainingly jaw-dropping as much as it is a tease.
In 1987, Jordan Belfort (Leonardo DiCaprio) takes a stockbroker job at a Wall Street firm. Barely into the job, the firm fails after Black Monday. Unemployed in a poor job market for stockbrokers, Jordan's wife Teresa (Cristin Milioti) encourages him to take a job with a Long Island boiler room dealing in penny stocks. His aggressive pitching style, combined with the higher commission rate of penny stocks, soon earns him a small fortune. He befriends Donnie Azoff (Jonah Hill) and they decide to open their own firm together. They recruit several of Jordan's friends and his parents to form Stratton Oakmont. Despite the respectable name, it is essentially a pump and dump scam that will soon lead to a lavish and extravagant lifestyle of uncontrolled greed.
"The Wolf of Wall Street" works because of the unparalleled acting by its lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio. We all know that the guy is extremely talented but Leo completely blew us away with his portrayal of Jordan Belfort. All the excess and savagery that his character obligated came off eerily natural. The supporting cast was great as well with Jonah Hill leading the pack and his comedic abilities really helping its success as a black comedy. The unlikely dynamic of the two making some classic moments such as when both got drugged up and fought. While the acting was the film's biggest trait, the narrative was just okay. In fact, we can honestly say that the film was overtly long and hearing and seeing endless excesses such as the F-word became tiring at one point. As much as we appreciated the near-accurate portrayal, there were times we wished some scenes were completely left off the final cut. Overall though, while not the best film we have seen this year, as a black comedy, the film works and one must experience to believe the shock and awe it entails.
Rating: 4 and a half reels

Why you should watch it:
- unparalleled acting by its lead, Leonardo DiCaprio